Making It with Jess Ekstrom

Do you ever find yourself lacking inspiration or struggling to get started on a new project? In this episode I'm sharing 3 questions to ask yourself when you're stuck!

Three Questions to Ask When You’re Feeling Stuck: (4:18)

1. Is this even what I really want? (4:18)

2. Could the outcome look different from what I originally imagined? (5:15)

3. Can I change the route on how I want to get there? (5:51)

One Liner: Hold your purpose tightly, hold your plans loosely, and you’ll find your way. (6:51)

Links

Chasing the Bright Side

Review the transcript at businessonthebrightside.com.

Is your e-commerce brand ready for the fast-approaching holidays? In today’s episode, I’m sharing 5 things you need to do to ensure your site is ready for the three big e-commerce holidays right around the corner!

Holiday Habits for E-Commerce (1:36)

Get your eCommerce Shop Ready for the Holidays (2:25)

1. Make sure that your website is ready to collect emails.(2:25)

2. Test your checkout process to make sure there aren’t any glitches.

3. Make sure your best selling products are on your homepage. (5:18)

4. Establish your shipping and refund policies. (6:14)

5. Build a Marketing Strategy for the Big Three (8:04)

The Big Three Holidays:

Black Friday

Cyber Monday

Giving Tuesday

Recap (9:54)

One Liner: Don’t make it hard for people to give you money, believe in what you’re selling and then ask for the sale. (10:27)

Links:

thebrightsideshop.com

Review the transcript at businessonthebrightside.com.

It's Chasing the Bright Side's first birthday! One year ago, I was on a press tour, sharing about how I'd poured so much into this book, and thinking about all of the potential lives this book could impact.

What a year it has been! In today's episode, I'm sharing a quick teaser of chapter one! Listen in!

Links

jessekstrom.com/buy-the-book

thebrightsideshop.com

Review the transcript at businessonthebrightside.com.

Do you feel like 2020 is kicking your a** when it comes to your work or business? I'm here to remind you that these obstacles are all part of the process. In this episode, I'm sharing four ways to deal with tough work situations. 

Shit Happens (3:45)

Tough Work Situations that are Bound to Happen (3:45)

1. Remove Your Ego (3:45)

2. Understand that sometimes Plan B can be better than Plan A (6:33)

3. Give yourself some grace (8:45)

4. What would your idol do? (10:54)

The Recap (12:55)

One Liner: Failure is not opposite of success, it’s just a part of it. (13:39)

Links:

Chasing the Bight Side

Erin Foly life coach

Do you know your money story? While you may realize it, you've got one! In this episode, I'm diving into my money story, how it developed stress around money for me, and how that impacted my business. So sit back, and let's dive into your money story!

Love/Hate Relationships with Money (1:32)

My Money Story (1:58)

Look at the numbers. What are they telling you? (4:18)

Understanding at KPIs and Patterns (4:39)

Separating Yourself from the Money (6:44)

Don't ask: 'What's wrong with me?"

Do ask: "What's wrong with the products?"

This Episode's One Liner: What are you making your money mean about your self worth? (8:00)

Links

Chasing the Bright Side

Looking for the transcript? Head to businessonthebrightside.com to review transcripts from each episode!

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have you explored the benefits of daily journaling? During quarantine, I began setting aside 15 minutes a day to explore my thoughts and ideas through this journaling process. In today's episodes, I'm sharing 6 steps to start a journaling habit!

"People who write down their ideas are 43% more likely to achieve them." via Dominican University

6 Ways to Start A Journaling Habit (5:38)

1. Decide when you want your creative hours to be.

2. Set a reminder to hold yourself accountable.

3. Set a timer for your writing time for 15 minutes minimum.

4. Don’t edit, just write.

5. Keep a notes tab of topics.

6. Don’t worry about creating a masterpiece, just show up.

This Episode's One Liner: The World Needs Your Bright Ideas, so let’s start by writing them down.

Links

brightpages.com

Expecting Amy on HBO

Review the Transcript at businessonthebrightside.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are you heading into an interview for a potential job or opportunity? Want to stand out from the other candidates, while also growing from the interview itself? I’m sharing the one question you NEED to ask during your next interview! Listen in!

Interview Question: Is there any reason why I wouldn’t get this job? (2:40)

Follow Up Question: Because if there are any flags or concerns, I would like to talk about it now.

My Experience with Asking This Question (5:11)

What This Question Tells an Interviewer (6:45)

What Are Your Favorite Interview Questions? (7:19)

This Episode’s One Liner: Sometimes the answers we’re looking for, lie within the questions themselves. (7:35)

Looking for the transcript? Head to businessonthebrightside.com to review transcripts from each episode!

Do you have a story you want to share with the world, but aren't sure it's worth telling? I believe that every story has a purpose, but how you tell it will impact how it's received. In today's episode, I'm sharing four things to remember in order to properly tell your story!

Monetizing Your Story (:49)

Paid Speaking Engagements (:58)

Publishing Books (1:02)

Finding Your Story (1:30)

One Single Experience Can Write Two Completely Different Stories (4:44)

4 Things to Remember about Storytelling (6:01)

• Your story doesn’t have to feel big to be important. (6:06)
• Your experiences are not your story, but rather how you make sense of them. (6:25)
• The value of your story comes in how you can relate that lesson to others. (6:52)
• Always remember that you are living your story right now. (7:56)

This Episode’s One Liner: "We can’t always control our experiences, but we can always write our story." (8:21)

Workshops:

Mic Drop Workshop

Book Pop Workshop

Looking for the transcript? Head to businessonthebrightside.com to review transcripts from each episode!

Are you ready to turn your speaking gigs into more than just a hobby? Turn it into income and add professional speaker to your bio! In today's episode I'm sharing the two things that you need to start doing in order to transition from free speaker to paid speaker.

How to Transition from Free Speaking to Paid Speaking (2:38)

2 Questions to Ask Yourself (3:03)

1. Are you using your story to tell or to inspire? How are you leaving your audience better?
2. Are you asking for money?

Asking for Money (5:12)

Ask: "What is your speaker budget?' vs. "Do you have a speaker budget?"

2 Things You Need to Become a Paid Speaker (5:38)

1. Position your talk so that your story serves.
2. Ask for money.

This Episode's One-Liner: If you want to speak and get paid to do it, think of how your story serves, then sell it. (6:08)

Looking for the transcript? Head to businessonthebrightside.com to review transcripts from each episode!

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are you approaching the tasks in your business proactively or reactively? If you're treating your business like a game of pinball, where you're just doing what you can to ensure you don't lose the ball, you're being reactive. Instead, consider ways you can treat your business like a game of bowling, where you're always focused on the strategy of knocking down the pins. Listen in as I share three ways you can leave the game of pinball that you're playing in your business behind and implement the strategy of bowling!

Are you ready to make an impact and income by writing non-fiction books? Sign up for my 5-day conference for women where we'll build a community and challenge you to share your story! Sign up for the Write the Dang Book Conference >>

Bowling as a Strategy in Business (1:57)

Three Ways to Bowl Instead of Pinball (2:44)

1. Create before we consume.
2. Batch your time.
3. Pick one metric to focus on and check in once a month.

The Episode’s One-Liner: Our destiny is not an uncontrollable future. It’s an active decision to write our own story.

Looking for the transcript? Head to businessonthebrightside.com to review transcripts from each episode!

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.